Australia is sitting on $6.4 billion worth of unused handsets

eBay data* reveals there are billions of dollars’ worth of second hand handsets sitting in drawers and pockets across Australia, an estimated $6.4 billion to be precise, with models selling for an average of $286 on eBay.com.au. On a global scale, Deloitte Global** claims used smartphone sales will generate more than $17 billion for their owners.

In anticipation of the release of the Samsung Galaxy S7 this week and in the midst of rumours that Apple is to announce its latest handset, savvy Australians are preparing to trade in the old for the new, using eBay’s ‘How much is your smartphone worth?’ tool to make sure they get the best deal.

Despite being released more than a year ago, the average selling price for an iPhone 6 Plus is marginally more than the more recently launched Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge; and if you are thinking of selling your phone online, Sunday is the most popular day of the week to purchase.

“With Samsung releasing the Galaxy S7 smartphone this week, and Apple rumoured to follow with the iPhone 7 release in the near future, now is the perfect time for Aussies to sell their older models to fund the upgrade”, said Mark Bulgin, Head of Electronics and Emerging Technology at eBay.

“With so many Australians on contracts, it is sometimes hard to know how much your phone is worth. The easy to use eBay ‘How much is your smartphone worth on eBay’ widget gives consumers an idea of what amount they can receive for their handset. For example, the average selling price of the Apple iPhone 6s has only fallen $50 since September 2015 and is still fetching over $875 for a single handset, whilst a Samsung Galaxy S6 is fetching around $526”.

We are a nation obsessed with all things mobile – in 2015 nearly 485,000 mobile phones and over 11.4 million mobile accessories were purchased by Aussies via eBay.com.au.

Consumers are increasingly looking to sell their used handsets, rather than giving them away. In 2015, a mobile phone was sold every minute on eBay.com.au, and 93,000 more units sold in 2015 than 2014. According to Deloitte Global, the growth rate of the used smartphone market is forecast to be 4-5 times higher than the overall smartphone market; and this re-sell practice by consumer and suppliers is expected to accelerate through to 2020.

The top five best-selling mobile handsets on eBay.com.au:

1. Apple iPhone 5 and 5S

2. Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

3. Samsung Galaxy S6

4. Apple iPhone 4S

5. Samsung Galaxy S5

“Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC and Nexus were the most searched mobile phone brands of 2015,” Bulgin said. “While the Samsung Galaxy S7 is arguably the most talked about model of 2016 but iPhone owners can be confident that there is an appetite for new and used iPhones with 10 million searches for the iPhone compared to 4 million for Samsung smartphones in 2015”.

eBay is one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, connecting people with the things they need and love virtually anytime, anywhere. eBay has 157 million active buyers globally and more than 800 million live individual and merchant listings at any given time. With mobile apps available in 190 countries, eBay delivers a personalized shopping experience and seamless access to inventory from down the street and around the world. Tailored shopping experiences customize buying and selling; and eBay provides variety and choice for sellers by enabling them to offer goods through online, mobile and local channels to consumers around the world. For more information, visit ebay.com.